The impetus for the Philosophy Born of Struggle (PBS) conference began on February 17, 1974 when students and faculty at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, gathered for a philosophy discussion entitled “The Search for Alternatives: African American Perspectives on the Human Situation” for the purpose of bringing awareness of the African American experience to the campus. While Roy D. Morrison III, professor of Black Philosophy of Culture and Scientific Method at Wesley Theological Seminary, and Frank Kirkland, professor at Hunter College, were both asked to speak, only Kirkland was able to attend. The discussion still garnered great interest on campus, resulting in the creation of a full-day conference to be held on October 21 of the same year, at the same campus.

The conference was named “Philosophy Born of Struggle,” after a text authored by Leonard Harris, and featured a keynote address by the late Shanara Gilbert, professor of law at Queens College CUNY, entitled “Owning the Self in a Disowned World.” From its beginning, the purpose of Philosophy Born of Struggle has been to “bring together philosophers who share an interest in the philosophy of the Black experience and in the public philosophy concerning issues of racial justice and human liberation.” PBS has become the gathering place for many pioneers in Africana philosophy including Leonard Harris, Lucius Outlaw, Howard McGary, John McClendon III, and the late William R. Jones. Over the years, the conference has attempted to address the “continual struggle of African people” by highlighting relevant topics as evidenced by the following conference themes: Legitimation Crisis in American Philosophy; Harlem Renaissance and the Black Enlightenment; Black Enlightenment and the Future of the Race; Family and the Intellectual Life; Civil Liberties in the New Millennium; Slavery and Reparations; Race Reparations and Restoration; Race and the United States Constitution; Rethinking the Intellectual Life; Black Aesthetics and the Politics of Recognition; Philosophy and Liberation; Philosophy and the Scientific Spirit.

Under the direction of Dr. Leonard Harris, professor of philosophy at Purdue University, a collection of materials documenting the activities of the PhilosophyBornofStruggle conference was amassed and donated to the Purdue University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections in 2012-2013.